Chair unit for children



Aug. 27, 1963 l. KARMEL CHAIR UNIT FOR CHILDREN 4 Sheets-Sheet l FiledMarchv 27, 1961 uvvs/v-TOR ISRAEL KARMEL l. KARMEL CHAIR UNIT FORCHILDREN Aug. 27, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 27, 1961 vi/wrokISRAEL KARMEL 5y ll, f,

Aug. 27, 1963 l. KARMEL.

CHAIR UNIT FOR CHILDREN 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 27, 1961 /NvEA/TeISRAE L KAR M EL Aug. 27, 1963 l. KARMEL 3,101,970

CHAIR UNIT FOR CHILDREN Filed March 27.' 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 lo b /I220 United States Patent() 3,101,970 CHAIR UNIT FOR CHILDREN IsraelKamiel, 3945 Puget Drive, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Filed Mar.27, 1961, Ser. No. 98,582 l()v Claims. (Cl. 297-119) This inventionrelates to a childs chair unit preferably including a table and whichmay also be used as a stroller.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a chair and -feedand play table for children which may -be quickly and easily collapsedinto a comparatively small bundle for carrying Or storing purposes, isvery light and yet strong in construction, and which cannot possiblycollapse when a child is in it.

Another object is the provision of a chair and table unit for childrenwhich may also be. used as a stroller without any alteration in theconstruction thereof, and which may be instantly converted -to astroller or yback to a feed and playtable, thereby eliminating thenecessity of two articles for these purposes.

A further object is the provision of a childs chair unit which may ormay not be collapsible, and which is instantly convertible Afrom or to achair-table unit to or from a stroller.

There are tables on the market for children which may be used for bothplaying and feeding, and have legs that collapse when the table is notrequired.. However, these are Ifor indoor use only, they fold into alcomparatively cumbersome bundle, and cannot be used as a stroller. Apreferred device accor-ding to the present invention eliminates thesedifliculties. It consists of a collapsible chair unit made of tubularaluminum `or any other suitable material. It includes automatic lockingmeans for retaining the chair inits erected position, and the lockingmeans is such that the chair cannot possibly collapse with a childeither standing or sitting in it. The chair also has a tray arrangementwhich may be positioned in front of the child for feeding or playingpurposes, and may be swung into a position where it acts as a handle sothat the device may be used as a stroller. The unit normally includeswheels so that it may be quickly and easily moved about either when inuse as a chair-table combination, or a stroller. The locking means maybe quickly and easily released to permit the unit to be collapsed into avery small Ibundle.

Although it is preferred to make the unit collapsible, it is -to beunderstood that this invention contemplates a unit that is notcollapsible, but includes a tray arrangement which may be positioned infront of a child in the unit and may be swung into-a position where itacts as a handle to convert the unit into a stroller.

Examples of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,in which,

FIGURE l is a plan view of Ithe chair unit set up for use as a stroller,

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of the uni-t,

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section ltaken on the line 3 3 of FIGURE 1,showing the handle in dotted lines inthe table position,

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the unit set upl as a table,

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary side elevationr of part of the unit,

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation of the unit in partly collapsed condition,

FIGURE 7 isA a plan view of an alternative form of unit,

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 8 8of FIGURE 7,

FIGURE 9 is a Afragmentary side elevation, partly in section, of anotheralternative form of unit, and

3,101,970 Patented Aug. 27, 1963 FIGURE l0 is a plan view of part of theunit shown in FIGURE 9.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 6 of the drawings, 10 is a collapsible chairunit including a pair of inclined front legs 12 and 13 which arepreferably connected together at their lower ends by a cross bar 14. Apair of substantially vertical back legs 15 and 16 are provided, saidlegs preferably being connectedv together at their lower ends by a crossbar 17.

The front legs 12-13 and. back legs 15-16 support a Vseat sectiongenerally designated by the numeral 20. rl`he seat section includes asubstantially U-shaped. supporting member 22 made up of side members 23and 24 connected at their outer ends by a cross member 25. Side member23 is pivotally connected at its inner end to the upper end of back leg15 by a pin 27, while side member 24 is pivotally connected at its.inner end to the upper end of back leg 16 by a pin 28. Members 23 and24 extend Iforwardly from the back legs to which they are connected, andare bent inwardly at 30 and 31, respectively, and then extend forwardlyfrom said -bent portions, as clearly shown in FIGURE l. If desired, saidside members may extend straightback from the forward ends thereof, inwhich case it would be necessary to provide spacers ybetween the innerends of said mem;- fbers and the back legs, Arm rests 33 and 34 arelixedly mounted on the upper surfaces of horizontal side inembers 23 and24. A back cross lbrace 37 is ixedly secured to the inner ends of sidemembers 23 and 24 and arm rests 33 and 34, and this brace keeps theupper ends of back legs 15 and 16 properly spaced apart. Cross brace 37actually forms part of an annular support including supporting member22, said brace and member forming and surrounding a seat opening 38. Theupper ends of the inclined front legs 12 and 13 are swingably connectedto side members 23 and 24 by pins 4t) and 41, said pins being spacedforwardly a little from pins 27 and 28, see `FIGURE 1. It will be notedthat the front legs are connected to the outer sides `of the sidemembers, while the back legs are connected to the inner sides thereof.

Seat section 20 includes a lower supporting arrangement includinghorizontal, side bars 44 and 45. These side bars are spaced bel-ow and alittle inwardly of side members 23 and 24. The inner ends of supportingbars 44 and 45 are pivotally connected to the inner sides of back legs15 and 16 by pins 46 and 47. The outer end of horizontal bar 44 ispivotally connected by a pin 50 to the upper end of adownwardly-inclined link 51, the lower end of which is pivotallyconnected by a pin 52 to front leg 12, and as link 51 is spaced inwardlyfrom the -front leg, the pin also carries a spacer 53 between .theseelements, see FIGURE 2. A vertical support 56 is swinga'bly mounted atits lower end on pin 50, and is pivotally connected at its upper end t-oside member 23 lby a pin 57. A stop 59 extends outwardly from verticalsupport 56 and normally rests on front leg 12. Support 56 is of suchlength that when stop 59 rests on the front leg, side member 23 and sidesupporting bar 44 are maintained in parallel relationship insubstantially horizontal planes. A

Side supporting bar 45 is carried in the same manner as bar 44. Theforward end of bar 45 is connected by a pin 62 to the upper end of adownwardly-inclinedlink 63, the lower end of which is connected by a pin64 to inclined front leg 13, said pin also carrying a spacer 65 betweenthe leg and the inclined lin-k. A vertical support 68 is carried by pin62 and is connected at its upper end to side member 24 by a pin 69. Astop` 70 secured yto vertical support l68 normally rests on front leg 13to retain bar 45 and side member 24 in parallel relationship insubstantially horizontal planes.

A padded seat 73 is carried by bars 44 and 45. This seat may be freelymounted on the bars, or it may be fixedly secured thereto, if desired. Apadded back 76 hingedly secured to the inner edge of seat 75, isinclined upwardly therefrom and rests against cross brace 37, see FIGURE3. A safety crotch strap 7S may be removably or permanently connected atits ends to the forward edge of seat 75 and the cross member 25 midway-between the ends of the latter.

In order lto collapse unit 10, back legs -16 have to swing forwardlyrelative to front legs 12-13. In order .to do this, links 51 and 63 havegot to swing forwardly on their pins 52 and 64, but their inner or upperends must first swing upwardly. Therefore, if a child is sitting on seat75, his weight resists the collapsing action.

A foot .section generally designated by lthe numeral 82 extends betweenthe front and back legs spaced below bars 44 and `45 of seat section2t). The foot section includes substantially horizontal side bans 85 and86 pivotally connected at their inner ends to back legs 15 and 16 bypins 87 and 83, the forward ends of said bars resting freely on .a crossbar 9) fixedly secured to the front legs 12 Iand 13. Anupwardly-inclined link 92 is connected at its inner end by pin 93 toside bar S5 spaced inwardly from the outer end thereof, and the outerend of said link is pivotally connected by a pin 94 to front leg 12.Similarly, `an upwardly-inclined link 97 is connected at its lower endby a pin 98 to side bar 86, `and at its upper end by a pin 99 to frontleg 13. A foot plate 102 is secured to bars 85 land 86 at the outer endsthereof.

The `action of links 92 and 97 is the same, and as the latter is clearlyshown in FIGURE 3, the action in connection with it will now bedescribed. It will be noted that when side bar 36 is in its normalhorizontal position resting on cross bar 90, pin 93 is below commoncentre line 104 extending through pins 33 and 99; Any effort to moveback legs 15-16 forwardly to rcoilapse units 1i) would tend to swinglinks 92 and 97 downwardly, but they cannot move in this directionbecause of cross bar 91). Therefore, the unit is locked in the erectedposition. In order to collapse the unit, it is necessary to move footplate 102 upwardly to swing links 92 and 97 in the same direction aroundtheir respective pins 94 and 99, and pin 9S must cross the common centreline 104. This requires a certain degree of force since bar 85 and link97 act as toggle links requiring to be moved across the common centreline. A child sitting lon seat 75 cannot reach the foot plate to pull itupwardly, and if he stands on the foot plate, he cannot pull it upwardlyso that the unit cannot be collapsed by a child in it, and it cannotaccidentally collapse on its own. Even if a child on the seat couldreach the foot plate, he could not collapse the unit since the seat mustmove upwardly before the back legs can move towards the front legs.

The unit described so far as a collapsible chair, and it may be used asthat, cross bars 14 :and 17 acting as feet for the unit, in which casesuitable glides may be provided on the bars. However, it is preferableto provide wheels for the unit. This may be accomplished by securingaxle bars 10S and 109 .to the undersurfaces of cross bars 14 and 17.Axle bar 103 has wheels 112 'and 113 rotatably mounted on the endsthereof, and axle bar 109 has wheels 115 and 116 rotatably mounted onits ends. It will be noted that bars 1118 and 109 are longer than thewidth of the unit described above so that the wheels are locatedoutwardly of .the sides of the unit, as clearly shown in FIGURE l, inorder to provide both lateral and longitudinal stability for said unit.

If desired, suitable braking means may be provided. In this example, abrake bar 113 is pivotally mounted at `119 on the lower end of back leg15, said brake bar extending across the back of the unit and behind leg16. Bar 118 may have a knob 121 on one end adapted to engage ywheel 115,and said bar may have a handle 122 projecting outwardly from itsopposite end. When knob 121 engages wheel 115, the opposite end of bar118 rests on a pin 124 projecting from leg 16, but the adjacent end ofthe bar may be swung clear of this pin and dropped downwardly on to apin 123 projecting from axle bar 139 beneath pin 122. At this time, knob121 is swung upwardly clear of wheel 115, as Shown in broken lines inFIGURE 2.

It is preferable to provide unit 10 with a table-handle section 128.This section includes a U-shaped support or frame 132 made up of sidearms 133 and 134 connected together at their outer ends by a crossmember 135. Arms 133 and 134 `are pivotally connected to seat section 20wherever desired, such as in the plane of side members 23 and 24. Oneconvenient way of doing this is illustrated in the drawings, and in thisexample, the side arms are swingably mounted on pins 4) and 41 whichconnect the upper ends of Ifront legs 12 and 13 to members 23 and 24.Support or frame 132 may be used as a handle, in which case, unit 10functions as a stroller, and at this time, the support is inclinedupwardly and rearwardly from seat section 20, as shown in FIGURES l to3. When this support is in this position, the ends 136 and 137 of arms133 and 134 project downwardly beneath side members 23 and 24. Support132 is locked in this position in any convenient way. One way of doingthis is t-o provide locking bars 140 land 141 adjacent the arm ends 136and 137. Bar 140 is pivotally mounted at 143 on Vfront leg 12 and has arecess 144 opening downwardly and fitting over a pin 145 projectinginwardly from arm 133. A handle 146 projects outwardly from the oppositeend of locking bar 149, see FIGURE l, and a spring 147 normally pullsthe latter end of the locking bar upwardly. Similarly, locking bar 141is pivotally mounted at 150 on front leg 13 `and has `adownwardly-opening recess 151 therein adapted to tit over a pin 152projecting inwardly from side arm 134. A handle 153 projects outwardlyfrom the opposite end of bar 141, and a spring 154 connected theretonormally urges said end upwardly, see FIGURE 3. With the variouselements in the positions shown in FIGURES l to 3, locking bars 140 and141 retain support 132 in its upper inclined position where it `acts asa handle. Even without these locking bars, support 132 cannot be swungrearwardly out of its proper inclined position since pins 134 and 152would engage the front legs 12 and 13.

Bars 1411 and 141 maybe swung downwardly to release pins 145 and 152 ofsupport 132 to permit the latter to be swung forwardly and downwardlyinto the position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 3 and full lines inFIGURE 4. A tray or table 153 extends Vacross support 132 `and ispermanently or removably secured to side arms 133 and 134. The side:arms are jogged as indicated at 161 in FIGURE 3 so that when said armsare in substantially horizontal positions, tray 15S rests on vcrossmember 25 in the same horizontal plane as arm rests 33 and 34. However,said side arms may be straight and spacers used instead of the joggingof the side arms. If desired, tray 158 may be releasably locked in thishorizontal position by means of the crotch flap 78 upon disconnectingthe front end of the latter from the cross member 25 and releasablyconnecting said front end to an eye fastener 160 depending from theundersurface of tray 158 yas clearly shown in broken lines in FIGURE 3.FIGURE 4 shows how tray 158 is positioned just ahead of and above seat75 so that it is in the correct position for -a child resting on theseat. At this time, unit 10 is set up to `act as a combined `chair andtable. If it is desired to use the unit as :a stroller, it is onlynecessary to swing support 132 upwardly into its inclined position.

Itis a very simple matter to collapse unit 10. FIGURE 6 shows the unitpartly collapsed from its position shown in FIGURE 3. In order to startthis action, foot plate 102 is swung upwardly until it crosses centreline 104 where the toggle is broken, and back legs 15-16 may be swungforwardly beneath front legs 12-13. The foot plate follows the pathlindicated by arrow 162 in FIGURE 6. At the same time, links 51 and I63swing upwardly and follow the path indicated by arrow 163 in FIGURE 6.This allows side members 23 and 24 to swing downwardly on their backpins 27 and 28 and front pins 57 and 69towards the front and back legswhich are also movingl into substantially parallel positions. Support132 is preferably in its lower position during the collapsing operationso that you end up with a comparatively small compact bundle. 'Ehelconstruction of unit 10 is such that most of the elements thereof maybe made from aluminum tubing so that the unit is quite strong, but verylight. However, any suitable material may be used.

fIn order to erect the unit, if supporting member 22 is held up orlifted upwardly, the front and back legs swing downwardly towards theirnormal positions. As the back legs are swung away from the front legs,the various elements move towards their final positions, and the lastaction is to press foot plate 102 downwardly over centre line 104 tolock the legs and other elements in the erected position. Actually, whenthe foot plate is pressed downwardly, the back legs are automaticallymoved away from the front legs.

This invention contemplates the possibility of a unit including a seatsection that is not collapsible, or is co1- lapsible and locked inerected position by some means other than that described above. In thiscase, the novelty is `in the handle-table idea that makes it possiblequickly and easily to change the unit from and back again. l

Tray '158 of unit 10 is Xedly mounted on support 132. FIGURES 7 and 8illustrate an alternative unit 10u in which the tray is movably mountedon support 132. In this example, a tray 170 ts between side arms 133 and134, and has arms .'172 and 173 extending along the insides of arms 133and 134. Arms 172 and 173 areswing-A ably mounted at their outer lendson pins 40 and 41. Spring-loaded locking pins v176 and 177 extendthrough side arms 133 and 134 into recesses 179 and 180 formed in theadjacent sides of tray 170.

When locking pins 176 and 177 engage tray 170, as shown in FIGURE 7,said tray moves with support '132 in the same manner as 'tray 158described above. However, when the support is in the handle or inclinedposition, if it is desired to use tray 170, pins 176 and 177 are drawnoutwardly to release the tray, at which` time, said tray is swungdownwardly into position resting on cross member 25. In other, words,the tray is available to a child on the seat even when the unit is beingused as a stroller.

FIGURES 9 and 10 illustrate a unit which is another alternative form ofthe invention. The only actual differ ence is in the construction 4andarrangement of the `trayhandle section. Instead of support 132, unit 10bhas a U-shaped support or frame 190 made up of side arms 191 and 192connected together at their outer ends byl a cross member 193. Arm 191is made in two sections 195 and 196 pivotally connected together atoverlap ends by a pin 197. The lower end of arm section 195 is connectedto seat section 20 in any desined manner, and in this example, it sswingably mounted on pin 57. Arm sections 195 and 196 are releasablyheld in aligned positions in any suitable manner, such as by means of aspring-loaded pin 198, see FIGURE l0. Similarly, "arm 190 is made insections 202 and 203 swingably connected together at overlapping ends bypin 204. 'Ihe lower end of -section 20-2 is swingably mounted on pin 52.Arms sections 202 and 203 are releasably held in aligned position by alocking pin 206. A tray 208 is fixedly or removably secured to armsections 196 and 203.

Support '190 is held in an inclined position as shown in FIGURE 9 in anydesired manner. For example, a lock ing bar 212 may be pivotally mountedon arm section 195 by pins 213, said bar having an end that hooks on toa pin 214 projecting outwardly from vertical support 56.

a table to a stroller Another locking bar 218 is pivotally mounted onarm section 202 by a pin 219, said bar having an end that hooks over apin 220 projecting outward-ly from vertical support 68. The opposite endof bar 218 is drawn upwardly by a spring 222.

When .support 190 is in the position shown in FIGURES 9 and 10, -it actsas a handle so that unit `l0/b may be used as a stroller. When it isdesired to use tray 208, locking pins 198 yand 206 are drawn outwardlyto permit arm sections .191 and 203 .to be swung downwardly around pins197 and 204 into substantially horizontal positions, shown in brokenlines in FIGURE 9. At this time, tray 208 is in front of and aligned armrests 33 and 34, while cross` member 193 rests on back cross brace 37.It is preferable to have the tray in this position when unit 10b iscollapsed Vand erected in the manner described above. It will be notedthat arm sections 196 and 203 are long enough to extend past a child onseat 75 without touching It is lobvious that instead of tixedly securingtray 203 to support 190, said tray may be movably connected thereto inthe same manner as tray 170 is connected to support 132 of unit 10a. i-The chair -units of this invent-ion preferably are convertible fromstrollers to tables and back again merely by swinging the handle betweenthe inclined and horizontal positions. Each unit is preferablycollapsible, but it does not have to be so. However, a unit may be builtas a chair alone, incorporating only the specified collapsible system,and the latter chair may or may not be supplied vwith a tablearrangement. The chair unit lends itself to many other variations. 4Forexample, the table or .tray may be hollow in order to hold articles,such as pencils, rulers and papers,`and said table or tray may take anyother desired form.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A chair unit for children comprising a seat section, legs connectedto and supporting said section, wheels carried by the legs upon whichthe unit rides, a support carrying a tray and swingably mounted on theseat section movable from a horizontal position with the tray near andin front of the seat section to an inclined upright position relative tosaid seat section to become a handle by means of which the unit may bemoved about on said wheels thereby converting Ithe unit into a stroller,means for retaining the Itray support in the horizontal position, and

locking means for releasably and rigidly locking the sup-- port in theinclined upright position relative to the seat section to prevent saidsupport from swinging to the horizon-tal position when the stroller isbeing moved bymeans of the support.

2. A chair unit for children comprising a collapsible seat section, legscollapsibly connected to and supporting said section, wheels carried bythe legs upon which the unit rides, locking means for releasablypreventing the seat section from collapsing and retaining said legs inposition `to support said seat section, a support carrying a tray andswingably mounted on` the seat section movable from a horizontalposition with the tray near land in front of the seat section to aninclined upright position relative to said seat section to become ahandle by means of which the uni-t may be moved about `on said wheelsthereby converting the unit into a stroller, means for retaining thetray support in the horizontal position, and locking means forreleasably and rigidly locking the support in the'inclined uprightposition relative to the seat section to prevent said support fromswinging to the horizontal position when the stroller is being moved bymeans of the support.

. 3. A chair unit for children comprising anl annular support forming aseat opening, a pair of laterally spaced back legs pivotally connectedatupper ends to the support, a pair of laterally spaced front legspivotally connected at upper ends to said support forwardly of the backlegs, said front legs normally being inclined forwardly and downwardlyrelative to the support, wheels carried by the front and back legs uponwhich the unit rides, seat supporting side bars beneath the openinghingedly connected to the back legs and extending forwardly therefrom,vertical supports pivotally connected at upper ends to the support andat lower ends to the opposite ends of said side bars, a foot sectionextending between the back and front legs below the side bars, lockingmeans forming part of the foot section for releasably retaining saidback legs in their vertical and the front legs in their inclinedpositions, a support carrying a tray and swingably mounted on saidannular support movable from a horizontal position with the tray infront of and substantially aligned with the annular support to aninclined upright position relative to the latter support to become ahandle by means of which the unit may be moved about on said wheelsthereby converting the unit into a stroller, means for retaining thetray support in the horizontal position, and locking means forreleasably and rigidly locking the support in the inclined uprightposition relative to the seat section to prevent said support fromswinging to the horizontal position when the stroller is being moved bymeans of the support.

4. A chair unit for children as claimed in claim 3 including downwardlyinclined links pivotally connected at upper ends to the side bars and atlower ends to the front legs, and a stop projecting from each verticalsupport and normally resting on an adjacent front leg.

5. A chair unit for children comprising an annular support forming alseat opening, a pair of laterally spaced back legs pivotally connectedat upper ends to the support, a pair of laterally spaced front legspivotally connected at upper ends to said support forwardly of the backlegs, said front legs normally being inclined forwardly and downwardlyrelative to the support, wheels carried by the front and back legs uponwhich the unit rides, seat supporting means beneath the seat openinghingedly connected to the back legs at one end and suspended at theopposite end from the support, a foot section extending between thefront and back legs below the seat supporting means, locking means forreleasably retaining said back legs in their vertical and the front legsin their inclined positions, a support including side arms mounted onthe front legs near the seat supporting means and inclined upwardly awayfrom said seat supporting means to act as a handle by means of which thekunit may be moved about on said wheels thereby converting the unit intoa stroller, said arms being in lower and upper sections hingedlyconnected together, means releasably locking the sections of each arm inalignment to prevent said sections from hinging when the stroller isbeing moved by means of said suppont, said upper arm sections whenreleased being swingable into horizontal positions along the top of theannular support,

and a tray carried by the upper arm sections positioned to lie in frontof and substantially aligned with the anular support when the upper armsections are in their horizontal positions.

6. A chair uni-t for children comprising an annular support forming aseat opening, a pair of laterally spaced back legs pivotally connectedatupper ends to the support, a pair ot laterally spaced front legspivotally connected at upper ends to said support forwardly of theback`legs, said front legs normally being inclined forwardly anddownwardly relative to the support, seat supporting side bars beneaththe opening hingedly connected to the back legs and extending forwardlytherefrom, vertical supports pivotally connected at upper ends to thesupport and at lower ends to the opposite ends of said side bars, a footsection extending between the back and front legs below the side bars,said foot section being pivotally connected to the back legs andnormally lying in a substantially horizontal position resting on stopmeans carried by the front legs, and link means connecting `the footsection to the front legs positioned to prevent movement of said frontlegs towards the back legs when the foot section is in said horizontalposition and to permit said movement when the foot section is swungupwardly about the pivotal connection thereof to the back legs.

7. A chair unit for children comprising an annular support forming aseat opening, a pair of laterally spaced back legs pivotally connectedat upper ends to the support, a pair of laterally spaced front legspivotally connected at upper ends to said support forwardly of the backlegs, said front legs normally being inclined forwardly and downwardlyrelative to the support, seat supporting side bars beneath the openinghingedly connected to the back legs and extending orwardly therefrom,vertical supports pivotally connected at upper ends to the support andat lower ends to the opposite ends of said side bars,downwardly-inclined links pivotally connected at upper ends to the sidebars and at lower ends to the front legs, `a stop projecting from eachvertical support and normally resting on an adjacent front leg, a footsection extending between the back and front legs below the side bars,and locking means forming part of the foot section for releasablyretaining said back legs in their vertical and the front legs in theirinclined positions.

8. A chair unit as claimed in claim 7 in which the foot sectioncomprises side bars pivotally connected to the back legs and normallyresting on a cross bar carried by the front legs, a foot plate carriedby the side bars near the front legs, and downwardly-inclined linkspivotally connected at one end to the front legs and at the opposite endto the side bars inwardly of said front legs, said plate and linksforming the locking means and being swingable upwardly and forwardly torelease the legs.

9. A chair unit for children comprising an annular support forming aseat opening, a pair of laterally spaced back legs pivotally connectedat upper ends to the support, a pair of laterally spaced front legspivotally connected at upper ends to said support forwardly of the backlegs, said front legs normally being inclined forwardly and downwardlyrelative to the support, seat supporting side bars beneath the openinghingedly connected to the back legs and extending forwardly therefrom,vertical supports pivotally connected at upper ends to the support andat lower ends to the opposite ends of said side bars,downwardly-inclined links pivotally connected at upper ends to the sidebars and at lower ends to the front legs, a stop projecting from eachvertical support and normally resting on an adjacent front leg, a footsection between and pivotally connected to the back legs and extendingbetween the front legs, and locking means forming part of the footsection and connecting the latter section to the front legs andreleasably retaining said back legs in their vertical and the front legsin their inclined positions, said back legs being swingable towards thefront legs when released by the locking means.

l0. A chair unit for children comprising an annular support forming aseat opening, a pair of laterally spaced back legs pivotally connectedat upper ends to the support, a pair of laterally spaced front legspivotally ccnnected at upper ends to said support forwardly of the backlegs, said front legs normally being inclined torwardly and downwardlyrelative to the support, a seat positioned beneath said seat opening, afoot section extending between the back and front legs below said seatand extending outwardly beyond the seat, said toot section beingpivotally connected to the back legs and normally lying in asubstantially horizontal position resting on stop means carried by thefront legs, and link means connecting the foot section to the front legspositioned to prevent movement of said front legs towards the back legswhen the foot section is in said horizontal position and to permit saidmovement when the foot 9 1o seotion is swung vupwardly about the pivotalconnection 1,538,408 Reed May 19, 1925 thereof to the back legs.1,587,253 Tarbox June l, 1926 n 2,429,034 Smith et a1. Oct. 14, 1947References Cited m the file 0f thlS patent 2,577,579 Hall Dec, 4, 1951UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 2,948,332 Hamilton Aug. 9, 1960 1,256,701Kohlman Feb. 19, 1918 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,471,007 Schmidt 1 Oct. 16, 1923524,603 Great Britain Aug. 9, 1940 141,844 Australia June 26, 1951

1. A CHAIR UNIT FOR CHILDREN COMPRISING A SEAT SECTION, LEGS CONNECTEDTO AND SUPPORTING SAID SECTION, WHEELS CARRIED BY THE LEGS UPON WHICHTHE UNIT RIDES, A SUPPORT CARRYING A TRAY AND SWINGABLY MOUNTED ON THESEAT SECTION MOVABLE FROM A HORIZONTAL POSITION WITH THE TRAY NEAR ANDIN FRONT OF THE SEAT SECTION TO AN INCLINED UPRIGHT POSITION RELATIVE TOSAID SEAT SECTION TO BECOME A HANDLE BY MEANS OF WHICH THE UNIT MAY BEMOVED ABOUT ON SAID WHEELS THEREBY CONVERTING THE UNIT INTO A STROLLER,MEANS FOR RETAINING THE TRAY SUPPORT IN THE HORIZONTAL POSITION, ANDLOCKING MEANS FOR RELEASABLY AND RIGIDLY LOCKING THE SUPPORT IN THEINCLINED UPRIGHT POSITION RELATIVE TO THE SEAT SECTION TO PREVENT SAIDSUPPORT FROM SWINGING TO THE HORIZONTAL POSITION WHEN THE STROLLER ISBEING MOVED BY MEANS OF THE SUPPORT.